Hello, Doc
Hello, Doc is a native iOS mobile app I created as part of my General Assembly course work, to address the problem of patients delaying to seek medical care, which is a prevalent behavior among users of the American healthcare system.
Role: User research, UX design, visual design, mid-fidelity prototype, information architecture, usability testing.
Tools: Sketch, Invision & illustrator
Durations: 7 weeks, course work - Feb. 2017
View the Prototype: Hello, Doc Prototype
Problem
American healthcare is in a crisis
Our healthcare system continues to have skyrocketing costs, causing countless Americans to file for bankruptcy yearly and without any improvement in patient outcomes.
Part of the reason for these rising costs is because American's delay seeking care until their health is severely deteriorated, leading to long hospital stays and development of chronic medical conditions.
How might we create a new healthcare platform for busy people on the go, in order to provide fast and affordable access to a healthcare provider, thus improving healthcare delivery and patient’s long term health?
Process
Target Audience
Men & Women
Age of 25-50
Working Professionals
With or without insurance
Personas
Research
User interviews
6 user interviews conducted, looking in dept at why participants have historically or currently delay seeking medical care.
Key Findings for why they delay:
6/6 participants reported delay due to poor past experiences
5/6 reported - “too expensive to see a provider.”
- “process takes too much time.”
- “I don’t know where I should go based on my symptoms.”
4/6 reported - “I don’t have a regular provider”
2/6 reported - “making an appointment is a hassle.”
2/6 (2/3 of women interviewed) reported delay due to lack of childcare.
Competitive Research
Research consisted of analyzing conventional care delivery as well as four digital platforms where patients can receive some type of virtual care.
Variables Analyzed
Average time: from door until end of appointment
Cost
Convenience / Accessibility
Ease of use
Positives
What can improve?
Key Findings
Digital Platforms
Most provide a video feature to meet with a provider.
Affordable video services are available.
No rating system for service providers.
Incorrect medical information found on a couple platforms.
Traditional route
Unknown costs associated with some locations.
Unknown wait times at some locations.
Personalized care.
Ideation
Currently, healthcare is predominantly a one-sided relationship, where initiating contact for services is the responsibility of the patient. If the patient doesn't ask for help, no help will be offered.
But... What would it look like if healthcare was a two-sided relationship?
a relationship where:
There is no monetary penalty for communicating with the other party.
Care is more personal; both sides initiate communication.
There is time loss for communication, but the amount of time lost, is a modifiable variable.
Features
Text a Provider
Text questions to an online provider and get answers for triage based purposes, or for general medical inquiries.
Provider Video Visits
Online provider visits: User can make informed choice about online provider by reviewing credentials and user reviews.
Provder Check-In Services
Preventative care feature: The user can opt to be contacted, via text, twice monthly or with decreases in activity, as measured by a connected health device.
User Flow
The goal was a simple user flow, avoiding anything too complicated that could be a barrier to care delivery.
Paper prototyping
Information Architecture
Open Card Sort: with Optimal Sort
Key Findings
More than 80% of the time users expected providers to be in a category by themselves.
Mid-Fidelity Prototype
I created the wireframes in Illustrator and Sketch, and the mid-fidelity prototype in InVision.
Usability Testing
Results
Sign in process too laborious.
Users thought it was too information to give on first use.
Iteration
Changed from long scroll format to card format.
Billing section made non-required until user choses service to use.
There is now a screen explaining why the information is needed for each section.
Explore the Mid-Fidelity Prototype
Onboarding screens
The onboarding was added post-usability testing as a way to develop trust through providing education about features.
Reflections
What could I have done differently?
Time constraints made it so there was not enough time during the G.A. course for high fidelity prototype development.
In order to change the patient / provider relationship, communication has to be easy, free and two sided. Behavior change for patients is multifactorial and so the solution’s scope remains large.